


Breathe (It will be easier)

by Shadowdianne, ShadowSelene (Shadowdianne)



Series: Senses [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 12:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18872824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowdianne/pseuds/Shadowdianne, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowdianne/pseuds/ShadowSelene
Summary: "Are you still upset with me?" Sentence prompt request by waknatious back at tumblr





	Breathe (It will be easier)

 

“Are you still upset with me?”

Emma’s voice was doubtful, weak, and Regina was able to feel the muscles of her shoulders tremble for a second as she halted, the papers she had been reading while seated at the edge of their bed falling to her lap. Moving ever so slightly, careful as to not ruffle the papers, she sat slightly straighter on the mattress, right leg still beneath her as she didn’t turn to look at the door. She could picture the blonde there; leaning on the doorjamb, hands crossed in front of her, fingers prodding the shirt she had seen the woman wear this morning, as she waited for her to reply.

It was not the question what upset her, she thought as the silence stretched between them, the afternoon light that seeped from the windows tinting the air in yellows and oranges, but the way the voice faltered, as if fully expecting for Regina to tell her that she still was.

Arguments, as they had quickly learnt, were difficult. Difficult in the sense that both of them were far too proud at times. Prouder than they would like to be. Asking for forgiveness when magical mishaps occurred had been something Emma had exceled at. But it was not the same when the argument came from simpler things, domestic things, things that didn’t involve an almost death situation.

Those, Regina had quickly realized, required a much more complicated dance. One that she sometimes wished was easier to avoid. One that didn’t end up making Emma withdraw as anger finally left her bereft, with nothing else to say but murmured apologies full of shame that made Regina fear if the next time she would see the blonde would be her moving away.

The two of them had their ghosts, their skeletons, the ones that haunted them every now and then. But it could be hard sometimes, battling those, as they argued.

“I wasn’t upset.” Her answer was weak, but she could feel Emma’s magic relax around her, asking for a permission to move closer she quickly nodded at, her own magic sparkling, less purple, more reddish under the warm light.

She heard Emma moving closer, the mattress dipping under her weight as she sat behind her, but she still didn’t turn to look at her. Not out of anger, she knew it, but because she needed those extra seconds she would get by keeping her eyes focused on her own hands.

“I still shouldn’t have screamed.”

The brunette felt a hum crawling up her throat, one that she let out, heavy on her lips, before she lowered her stance slightly. Enough for her shoulders to slouch, for her posture turn from proper, queen-like, to the woman she now wanted to channel whenever she was away from the palace, from the Queen’s crown. The blonde could read the signals, Regina knew she could, but she still didn’t move closer even if the brunette could feel her body warmth seeping out of her, reaching for hers, in the same way she suddenly felt like craving Emma’s arms around her.

Arguing was a second nature for them, had been. But their banter, the one permanently solidified on that, didn’t cover the little nuances a relationship brought with it. And she had found she loathed those, the moments right after them, the ones that would have Emma walk lightly around the house, still at loss of words, still not knowing how to approach her as Regina herself would feel herself close on herself, needing a time she didn’t truly use as her mind went repeatedly over words that shouldn’t have been said.

Becoming better at that, however, was a slow process, a path they needed to actively remember themselves to follow when their tempers got the worst out of them. Sighing, she let her body move backwards, the quiet sound of surprise coming out of Emma’s mouth when her back hit the blonde’s front one that made her smile, as lopsided as that one was.

The blonde was mimicking her earlier stance, which meant her knee was digging slightly on her back, but Regina didn’t change her posture as Emma, tentatively, closed her arms around her, finally registering what Regina had been too tired to ask aloud. Hands clasping at her front, breathing the only sound that filled the room, the brunette found herself closing her eyes as she felt a gentle squeeze running down her upper body, Emma’s lips leaving an imprint on the top of her head. One she found herself savoring as she let her own lungs fill with magic-scented air.

“You shouldn’t have.” She hadn’t planned on answering but the moment she said the words she felt Emma’s magic envelop her more strongly for a second, white rivulets pouring out of her, around her, before she reined on them once more. Lowering her own hands, intertwining their fingers together, Regina opened her eyes to the ceiling, to the peek of Emma’s forearms at her sides.

“I’m sorry.”

It came less brittle than her previous words, true remorse sipping through. Shaking her head, tucking herself more closely into the blonde’s front, Regina rose the blonde’s right hand, kissing her pulse point slowly before letting it rest against her chest, purple wisps coming out of her in gentle waves.

“I am too.”

They were doing strides towards being better. And that, she thought, was in what she wanted to focus now.

(She didn’t know when she fell asleep, her conscience barely stirring when Emma moved her to a better, more comfortable position. Yet, she still smiled as the blonde put the papers away, covering her with a blanket before kissing her temple, running a hand through her cheek, knuckles caressing her face.

“Rest.”

And so she did.)


End file.
